Here's a survey of familiar territory, including a critique of the
US Socialist Workers Party's positions favoring the formation of an
independent Black political party in the 1960s. I also note the
capitalization of the word Black in reference to the Black people of
the United States, a respectful practice. Oddly, nothing in their
writings takes up such very influential Black nationalist formations
as the Nation of Islam, which continues to exist and which provide a
great deal of political education in the Black community through
their newspaper, THE FINAL CALL.
Black nationalist sentiment is less prominent today than in the
1960s, but it's by no means no longer a factor in political life.
Part of this has to do with the concessions made to Blacks as an
outcome of the Civil Rights movements, a point which this review
makes mention of.
Indeed, Senator Obama, try as he might to distance himself from
Blacks as a distinct social formation in the United States, and is
clearly a factor which the Democrats consider. Alas, they figure
that they have the Black vote already sewn up, but that's another
discussion.
Even more noticable is the absence of any mention of Mumia Abu-Jamal
in the writings of their tendency. ANY. A search of their website
reveals a mention of Mumia in an interview with members of the
hip-hop group PUBLIC ENEMY, but not one word ever by or about Mumia,
clearly the most precient and revolutionary thinker active in Black
political circles today. That's a serious omission, from a political
viewpoint. There must be a reason for that omission. Jorge? Cort?
Otherwise, their survey is worth the time to read through and
I found it both familiar ground and informative.
Walter Lippmann
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
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Black Struggle and the Socialist Revolution
By Workers International League
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
[excerpts]
In the coming period, under conditions of capitalist crisis and
scarcity, U.S. society will be increasingly polarized. The ruling
class will inevitably attempt to confuse and divide the class by
intensifying the poison of racism. However, the most likely
perspective is not that of a rise of black national and separatist
consciousness on a mass scale, but rather, the tendency toward united
class struggle across racial and ethnic lines. The Marxists and the
labor movement in general must be at the forefront of combating
racism and discrimination, of forging unity between all workers by
fighting for quality jobs, health care, housing and education for all.
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The only way to truly achieve full reparations in compensation for
centuries of discrimination and brutality is to fight for the
expropriation of the capitalists, whose wealth and power is based on
exploiting the working class, and who use racism to extract maximum
profits. We must explain that only through the socialist
transformation of society can we lay the basis for ending the
discrimination and inequality inherent in the capitalist system.
http://www.marxist.com/black-struggle-and-socialist-revolution.htm